Trifter

Rome is one of the most popular locations in the world when it comes to tourism. It is a very lovely and beautiful city. A lot of people said it is also a very romantic place. However, I went to Rome with 2 guys and I must say I didn’t find Rome to be a romantic place during that trip.

But Rome is no doubt a very nice place. Here are some of the places I have visited during my 3 days 2 nights stay in Rome.

Roman Forum

Location: 41° 53′ 33.12″ N, 12° 29′ 8.57″ E

This is the heart of ancient Rome. It consists of several ruined temples, arches and basilicas. It is said to be the center of ceremonial, business, social and other important activities of the ancient Roman Empire. During your trip there, be sure to get the audio guide and spend a couple of hours to go through the entire place. I arrived there 5 minutes before they closed the gate, and was not able to use the audio guide.

This is part of the ruined in Roman Forum

Giant pillars in Roman Forum

Colosseum

Location: 41° 53′ 24.61″ N, 12° 29′ 32.17″ E

This is possibly the most famous place in Rome, especially after the movie Gladiator. This is the ancient Rome’s largest theater, built around 75 AD and is the venue for gladiator fights. The Colosseum is huge and be sure to spend some time here with the help of an audio guide. Nearby this area, you can visit the Palatine Hill which is the home to Roman emperors and aristocrats.

The beautiful Colosseum in the evening

I believe this is the main entrance and where the gladiators used to come in from?

The interior of Colosseum

Trevi Fountain

Location: 41° 54′ 3.15″ N, 12° 28′ 59.4″ E

If you’re a fan of Hong Kong series, you must visit this magnificent fountain which was built in 1762. It is a very beautiful fountain. Toss a coin into it and make a wish. There are a lot of gelato stores around this area. Be sure to check them out. One tip for you – in order to know which store has nicer gelato, check out the variety of flavors offered by the stores, the more the better.

Trevi Fountain at night

Trevi Fountain at daytime. Apologize to those people who appear in here. It’s pretty hard to get a clear shot at daytime.

Pantheon

Location: 41° 53′ 54.96″ N, 12° 28′ 36.48″ E

This is one of the best preserved buildings in Rome. It has a large dome and is currently used as a church. It might look like a pretty normal building from far away but as you get closer, you will notice the gigantic pillars and giant door. It is huge! And it sure does look very grand. Admission is also free here but it closes quite early, around 7PM. After visiting this place, you can look for a restaurant nearby for a meal. Be sure to check out their home-made pasta. It’s delicious!

Pantheon at night

The giant entrance to the Pantheon. Again, sorry to those people in the photo.

Vatican City (Holy See)

Location: 41° 54′ 10.8″ N, 12° 27′ 7.2″ E

This is actually an independent sovereign state and is not part of Rome. However, you can get to this place by taking the underground train. The journey takes around 30 to 40 minutes from the central bus station. There are few interesting places to visit here. The most popular one has to be the grand St. Peter Basilica, which is one of the largest churches in the world. You can find many famous artworks in here including some of Michelangelo’s works. Also be sure to check out the St. Peter’s Dome, which is one of the highest points in Rome. It gives you a 360 degrees view of Rome.Besides that, you can also take a guided tour for Vatican Museum. There are so many things to see here, from artworks to gold-decorated ceiling. I’ve spent nearly the whole day in here. The guided tour will end up in the famous Sistine Chapel, which was built around 1470s. You are not allowed to take pictures in this place and you are required to remain quiet during your stay in here. The chapel’s ceiling is filled with famous paintings by Michelangelo. Just be prepared to wait quite long to enter the museum. It’s better if you can visit the museum early in the morning.

Entrance to the St. Peter Basilica. You need to go through security checkpoints here.

This was on a Sunday. See the amount of people there?

From the top of the St. Peter’s dome.

This is inside the St. Peter’s Basilica. That’s the main entrance.

Part of the Vatican Museum. There are ancient paintings on the wall and nice carvings (with gold) on the ceiling.

There are other nice places to visit around Rome but I could not list out all of them. I did not go to all of them due to my tight schedule. Most of the places consist of piazzas (big squares with a lot of people) and beautiful fountains. Just take some time and walk around the city. Admire the amazing buildings and absorb the atmosphere especially in the evening. It’s wonderful.

Just be careful when you are walking alone in isolated places because there are a lot of beggars and pickpockets. Try not to stay away too far from your friends and the crowd. And most importantly, be sure to check out the home-cooked pastas, the simple pizzas and the delicious gelatos.

NOTE: The photos here were taken by me during my trip in Rome. They are not taken from any other sources. Apologize for the poor quality.